By Jenny Tango

The diverse women of Chelm, their stories and questionable wisdom as told and illustrated in this artist's book  by  Jenny Tango.

	INTRODUCTION CHELM is not a mythical place. It can be found on any map of Poland. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, it is the most famous shtetl of the Lublin Province due to its Jewish wisemen of sages who go all the way back to the Ba'al Shem Tov (1700-1750) or even further. By the twentieth century various collections of stories
	- even novels- spread the wisdom of the wise men of Chelm throughout the world. But the women of Chelm, only now and then, could be seen peeking out from behind the long black coats of the men. Why were the women of Chelm invisible for the most part? The answer is ...architecture. The sages would meet in the besmedresh, the prayer and study house. There they would confer, study, ponder, and memorize the Holy Books. There was decided, after much discussion, the issues confromting the Jews of Chelm.  But the women of Chelm spent the major part of their lives outside that building making sure the men could be inside.
For centuries the rabbis had told women that they were endowed with greater maturity of judgment than men and therefore required less credits or mitzvot in the World-to-Come. It was not necessary for them to try to find out how to attain higher levels of Spiritual perfection and how to redeem the world. Women accumulated mitzvot through the piety and Torah-learning of their fathers husbands, and sons. Since supporting their men in their studies was also a mizvah, they got a real bargain... two mitzvot at one shot. But times have changed. Women want recognition here and now and not just on a ledger in Heaven. Thewomen of Chelm want it to be known that not all the sages of Chelm were men. And if the rabbis were right, then most women by virtue of their sex are wise. And no woman of Chelm is fool enought to disagree. ...WHICH IS WHY THE TITLE OF THIS BOOK IS WOMEN OF CHELM AND NOT THE WISE WOMEN OF CHELM! from the introduction of WOMEN OF CHELM by Jenny Tango © 1991